LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

SI 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



/ 



DIPHTHERIA, 



ITS CAUSES, 






TREATMENT, 



-AND- 



BY OLIVER HESS ; M. D. 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1880. by OLIVER 
HESS. M. D., in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 
All rights reserved. 



DIPHTHERIA, 



ITS CAUSES, 



TREATMENT, 



-AND- 



% 



BY OLIVER HESS ; M. D 



PRICE $3.00. 



LOWELL, MICH : 

JOURNAL STEAM JOR PRINTING HOUSE. 

18 80. 




\ 



$ 




*> £ 



PREFACE. 



In offering this work to the public I find myself almost 
compelled through persuasion of my friends that haye wit- 
nessed its success in eyery case for the past sixteen years, 
without the loss of a single life. They have fully persuad- 
ed me of the necessity that a knowledge of these valuable 
remedies should survive me after I am dead. I have there- 
fore given the symptoms and treatment in as plain lan- 
guage as possible, so as to be understood by the people 
generally as well as physicians. 

OLIVER HESS, M. D. 

West Campbell, Mich., Oct. 2, 1880. 



DIPHTHERIA. 



Diphtheria has been and may be expected again to be 
widely prevalent and is a formidable and fatal disease. We 
read of its visitation at the city of Eome as early as the 
year A. D., 880 and its spread throughout the world at dif- 
ferent times and places, has been extremely dangerous and 
fatal* Diphtheria is a contagious and a blood poisoning 
disease. It attacks persons of all classes and ages, but 
most frequently children under sixteen years of age. 

Cause of Diphtheria. 

It is supposed to originate from the ground and the use 
of bad water in low places where the drainage is poor; filth 
from sewers, barnyards, privies &c, reaching the wells, 
affecting the water and air and afterwards spreading to 
healthy locations by contagion. It is both epidemic and 
contagious. The manner in which it can be taken is by the 
inhaling of the breath and perspiration of the patient; al- 
so by medicine spoons, drinking cups, handkerchiefs, 
clothing, and saliva from the mouth and nose, and no less 
is the source of danger from the discharges of the bowels 
and kidneys. All recepticle vessels should be constantly 
disinfected by an ounce of copperas in a half pint of water, 
to be kept in the vessel that receives them and when emp- 
tied should be buried at least five rods from any well and 
never emptied into any privy vault. 

Symptoms of Diphtheria. 

Swelling and soreness of the throat, difficulty in swal- 
lowing, which is done by raising the chin and with the 
eyes open; swallows slowly. While with quinsy the pa- 
tient swallows with a quick jerk, closing the eyes and 
moving the shoulders forward and upwards. It is claimed 
by many good physicians that in every case of Diphtheria 
there will be false membrane formed in the throat or on 
the palate, lips or mouth, which it sometimes attacks. Its 
appearance is of a white, or grayish color which at first is 
small, soon spreads, several spots appearing and running 
together which fills the throat, air passages and nasal cav- 
ities: some bloated appearance of the face with swelling 



under the jaw and up the cords of the neck. The voice is 
changed to a feeble, whining sound like talking through 
the nose, which often fills up with thick matter; a bad 
smelling breath with choking and sinking, which symp- 
toms are regarded as highly dangerous and without relief, 
soon ends in death. 

Treatment of Diphtheria. 

External application. First if there has been any- 
thing applied to the throat outside that is oily, or greasy, 
it must be removed by washing very thoroughly with soap 
and warm water. Then apply Croton oil by placing the 
end of the fore finger to the uncorked vial containing it; 
turn up the vial from two to four times, each time rubbing- 
it on the affected part close under the jaw bone, only us- 
ing each time what there is on the end of the finger to the 
affected part. This done, put a small piece of flannel band- 
age around the neck until it causes considerable soreness 
on the outside, then the flannel may be taken off and a 
soft piece of cotton or linen cloth may be applied loosely 
around the neck. Care should be taken not to spread the 
oil up and down on the neck, making the line of applica- 
tion around the throat close to the under jaw. Then wash 
the hands with soap and water, strictly cautioning the pa- 
tient not to touch it with the fingers lest it should get in 
the eyes. Take nitrate of silver crystals, the size of half 
a pea, dissolve in three spoonfulls of soft water in a tea- 
cup. If soft water cannot be obtained use pure hard wa- 
ter, if it dissolves without making the water look milky, 
or changing its color, salt chemicalizes this medicine and 
spoils its virtue. The dish, water and cloth for a swab 
must be clean and pure. Make a swab of white cotton oi- 
lmen cloth wound around a stick that is a little bent to one 
end. Have the cloth just wide enough t<> project over the 
end about an inch. Tie this with a thread so as to secure 
it from slipping off. Make it about the size of a lead pen- 
cil. Dip the swab in the medicine and apply it to the 
white spots inside the throat once in about two hours, un- 
til the white membrane or cankered appearances have all 
disappeared. Wipe the matter and saliva from the swab 
with a cloth and burn it. Then cover the swab with a 
clean cloth and lay it on top of the medicine, which should 
also be covered from the light. This stains clothing black 
if it touches it. This medicine must never be swallowed 
or taken into the stomach. 

Take of Chlorate of Potassa, a teaspoon End; dissolve it 
in a tumbler of water. With this gargle the throat once 
in two hours. Give of this internally, to a child five years 
old, a teaspoonful once in six hours. Increase the amount 



to be taken according to the age of the patient. If the pa- 
tient is too young to gargle it use a swab to apply to the 
throat inside. 

Take of sulphate of zinc as much as can be heaped on a 
dime. Dissolve it in half a tumbler of water. With this 
gargle the throat once m two hours; if the attack should 
be severe make this a little stronger. It can also be appli- 
ed with a swab. Make a swab for each medicine. If weak- 
ness, coldness and sinking takes place give quinine in two 
grain doses for six hours. A little brandy is also good in 
these last named symptoms, 
Inhaling Powder, its Preparation, and Use. 

Take flour of licorice root, one ounce, nitrate of silver 
crystals, one drachm. First grind the nitrate of silver fine 
as it can be made. Then sprinkle it over the flour of licor- 
ice evenly, then grind and mix for at least three hours 
constantly in a porcelain mortar. In the absence of the 
mortar use a smooth hammer and a new glazed earthen 
plate. In this way half of the above quantity can be made 
by constantly grinding it for three hours. This when 
made can be inhaled by snuffing up the nose or breathing 
down the throat. When Diphtheria attacks low down in 
the throat or up in the head and nose thin remedy will 
reach it. To breathe it down the throat take a pinch of it, 
open the mouth, put the finger and thumb inside the mouth 
and draw the breath, suddenly loosening the thumb and 
finger. In this way it can be taken three or four times a 
day. This reaches the disease below where medicine can 
be applied any other way. Use this remedy when the nose 
and head are inclined to fill up like cold in the head which 
thickens up, filling the head with solid matter that cannot 
be discharged and soon the patient dies. By giving early 
attention to this last symptom, the inhaling powder used 
three or four times a day will effect a cure of this difficul- 
ty, if early attended to. This inhaling powder is a good 
catarrh remedy. It will stain clothing. 

Convalescent. 

When the patient is recovering use all of the foregoing 
remedies less frequent and substitute the following prepar- 
ation which can be found at the drug store: One teaspoon- 
ful of Hydrastis Canadensis; one teaspoonful of pulverized 
Nitrate of Potassa; one teaspoonful of pulverized Alum; 
one teaspoonful of ground black Pepper; two teaspoonfuls 
of salt. Put all together in a teacup, then add boiling wa- 
ter half full; let it stand for ten minutes then fill the cup 
with good vinegar. Of this preparation gargle the throat 
once in two hours. After this is done, swallow a half tea- 
spoonful of the same. 



Cure. 

I am confident by past experience that by giving early 
attention to the administration of the above remedies ac- 
cording to directions you may depend upon a perfect cure 
within from three to five days. 

Testimonials. 

To all whom this may concern. 
We the undersigned, inhabitants of the township of 
Campbell, county of Ionia and state of Michigan, do here- 
by certify that Dr. Oliver Hess has been a resident physi- 
cian of this place for about sixteen years in the general 
practice of medicine, with success, and we believe has not 
lost a single case of Diphtheria in that length of time. 
Having had an extensive practice in that disease, we can 
confidently recommend him to all who are afflicted with 
that terrible disease. 
West Campbell, Aug. 14th, 1880. 

I. GIBSON, P. M., West Campbell. 

JAS. B. POST, Justice of the Peace. 

MARK SHANKS, Lumberman. 

L. P. TOWNSEND, Farmer. 

JOHN MICK. Supervisor. 



